Dear Parish Family,
Our readings today deal with judgment. Our culture tends to have a very negative view of "judgment" with the assumption that we should just mind our own business and not make any sort of determination about the words or actions of another person, be it good or evil. Without judgment, there would be no law or order, no right or wrong, no good or evil. There would be no correction or repentance, no shame or guilt. But perhaps more importantly, there would be no satisfaction or joy, no praise, gratitude or affirmation (for who would be so bold as to judge something as "good"?). Honestly, nobody really lives this way, no matter how much they claim they don't judge others. We are rational creatures and we cannot help but make judgments about ourselves and every situation and person we come across. The goal is not to avoid judgment outright, but to ensure that our judgments are true, charitable, prudent, and honest. 
 
When we make a judgment, we make an evaluation. Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel to "remove the wooden beam from your eye first, then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother's eye." This is the right approach to interpret His words in another place, "Judge not lest you be judged." The point is not to avoid "judging" others, but to make sure our judgments are true and expressed with love with a sincere desire to help another person. Without introspection and repentance, our judgments of others easily become hypocritical. We point out the faults of others that we have (and perhaps that we hate) in ourselves. 
 
The right way to make judgments is with humility and understanding. There's a big difference between pointing out the faults of others (to their face or behind their backs) versus disagreeing with compassion. "I understand what you're going through. I know it's difficult. I'm here for you. I've been there before." These are great lines that point towards a way to judge rightly. The next time you have a judgment about yourself or another person, ask yourself these questions in prayer: 

• Is my judgment true or is it just my opinion or personal preference coming out? 
• Is my judgment charitable with a view to helping others, or is it critical, cold, snarky, or otherwise diminishing of the dignity of the person? 
• Is my judgment proper and prudent, or do I need to learn more about the motivations of the other person or give them the benefit of the doubt? 
• Is my judgment honest, or am I finding faults in others that I see and despise in myself? I need to deal with myself first so that I have a clear conscience and a pure heart to help others. 

It might help to know that Jesus is the Just Judge. Jesus' judgment is true, charitable, prudent, and honest. It is the backbone to His teaching on God's moral law which He Himself lived and taught us to follow.
 
This year our Church is engaged in three major movements. At the universal level, we are in the Jubilee Year of Hope. At the American level, we are in our final year of the Eucharistic Revival. At our Diocesan level, we are engaged with the Bishop's Pastoral Letter, "A Flourishing Apostolic Church." Fr. Damian Ference, the Vicar for Evangelization for our diocese, will give a talk putting these three movements together on Tuesday, April 22 at 7 pm at St. Mary's. His talk is appropriately titled, "A Jubilee Revival for a Flourishing Church." Save the date in your calendar as it will be a night you won't want to miss!
 
Lent starts this Wednesday! Ash Wednesday Masses will be at St. Mary's at 7:30 am, 9:30 am (with the School), 12:00 pm, and 7:00 pm. St. Patrick's will have a 7:00 pm Mass. Adoration will end early at St. Mary's with Benediction around 6:15 pm. Please visit the website for more information on upcoming Masses, Sacraments, Fish Fry's, Stations, and other faith formation events in the weeks to come. Know of my prayers for you as you enter into this Lenten season.
 
As we prepare to enter into this holy season of Lent, remember some of the basic reminders that Fr. Jim Sichko gave us at our Fall mission. Come to Mass on time or early to prepare. Stay for the entirety of the Mass, and don't leave after communion. SING! Don't bring coffee or snacks into church. These are simple reminders that make a big difference for the life and vibrancy of the parish and for all who gather. Lent is a great time to renew our focus on the Lord and the Sacraments of the Church.
 
Henninger's will begin restoring the murals above the sanctuary in the coming weeks. They are scheduled to work from March 3 through early April for the repainting to bring out the colors and images of the murals more vibrantly. Copies of the murals with images and descriptions of what they represent are available in the back of the church if you are interested in learning more!
 
I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow